Clair de Lune

"Maybe you're right," Alice laughs. "and maybe Lupin IS a bit of a girl. Boys aren't supposed to cry about ickle things like being sick."

"That's what Da says anyway."

"Girly?" Alice laughs. "I heard him belching 'God Save the Queen' with Peter during Charms. I don't think Lupin is girly."

She whispers to Lily. "He's definitely odd though. He cries a lot. I saw. Today in defense, he started crying. I saw him. I tried to ask what was wrong and he ran off on me. He doesn't talk to anyone except those gits he hangs around with. I heard some Slytherin's calling him Loopy once..."

She concludes with, "But at least he's Gryffindor. He can't be all bad."

Alice didn't like Snape, but she wouldn't say that to Lily. That would just be mean.

Alice is caught silent. Er... Snape wasn't stupid, but he was SOMETHING alright. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she didn't like him. He didn't feel right.

"We're too young to really fancy anyone," she quipps. "Mum says."

My mum is the bravest cleverest witch that ever was.

"Are you sure you don't fancy Lupin?" Alice asks. Both Snape and 'Loopy' Lupin were quiet and a little on the weird side, but at least Lupin was a Gryffindor. He couldn't be all bad.

"If you ask me, it's all about Black. He's gorgeous. Aestet...aesthetically," she struggles to say the big word. "pleasing. But I don't 'fancy' him. He's a bit of a git, really. ALL boys are gits, even the clever ones." Alice adds. "Especially the clever ones."

Alice was unconvinced. Mhmm, because chocolate had all these great medicinal purposes, righhhhht.

"Well I don't fancy anyone. Boys are so stupid."

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, jumping onto Lily's bed. One of the other girls sat up and threatened to throw a hex if they didn't 'keep quiet; people are sleeping!'.

Alice, never one for subtlety, ever, peered over Lily's shoulder. Her eyes go wide as chestnuts and Alice bites her lip to hold back giggling (because 'people are sleeping!').

"Lily fancies Lupin~ Lily fancies Lupin~" Alice whispers in a teasing sing song voice.

James was next. The hat barely has time to touch his head before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

James beams, feeling very self satisfied.

...

Besides, any minute now, those dung bombs he'd planted ought to be going off.

James jumped into the seat next to Sirius. "This is brilliant! We're all together!"

---

After James was sorted it was Alice's turn and she was sorted Gryffindor as well.

Alice giggles in the background. She can't help it.

She coughs and blushes a bit, clearing her throat.

"Hey, I know you! You're James Potter!" she accuses. "Your mum is friends with my mum! You really should apologize. Great prank, though."

Alice leans against a wall, laughing and holding her nose. "Merlin's pants!"

She coughs a few more times. "Brilliant prank! But why'd it have to be us? What rotten luck!"

Several heads poke out of the various compartments nearby to glare at Lily and Alice.

"Who set off a dung bomb IN the train!"
"FIRST YEARS, UGG!"


"Hey!" Alice snaps. "It wasn't us! We were pranked." She groans and grabs Lily. "Come on, this way."

A few feet down, they've caught up with the snack lady, who looks at them funny. Alice shrugs innocently and takes a deep breath of air.

"Ahhhhh, fresh air!"

Meanwhile, a messy head of black hair, way in the back, has peeked out, and he is laughing at them.

"Think I found our prankster, Lily." Alice points, and the head quickly zips back into its car.

Alice tries and tries, but she can barely get the sugar quills to even hover. "Hmm, guess it needs some work!"

"Wow! Lily! That's so cool. My mom wouldn't let me practice magic until I got to school!"

Alice takes her wand. "Let me try, how'd you do that? Teach me!"

"Nope," Alice answers. "Mum says I'm enough of a handful all on my own." She smiles super big. "So what kind of wand do you have Lily? Mine's holly and unicorn hair. 6 Inches. It's really cute see."

She holds up her wand, which is rather short for a wand, very cute.

The train whistle blows, signalling it's almost time to leave. "Oh yay! It's time to go!" Alice leans over Lily to stare out the window. She finds her mum and waves cheerfully.

"You are very very welcome, Lily."

She smiles across at Severus and winks.

Alice shoots a glare right back at the slytherin boys. "Nothin wrong with that!" she assures the red headed girl. Oh, she knew all about boys like the slytherins. Lousy bunch of prats, the whole lot of them. She snubs them completely and only gives a sugar quill to the quiet one on the left, who hadn't given Lily mean looks.

"Sugar quills are like muggle lollies. Here try one."

Alice hands Lily a pink sugar quill and opens a blue one for herself.

"Alice!" The blonde is bouncy, hyperactive would be a good word for it. She practically jumps into the seat next to Lily's. "Alice O'Neil, first year! Hey want to share my Sugar Quills?"

She spills about 5 of them out of her pockets.

"Lily is such a pretty flower name. Alice is boring."

Alice poked her head into the compartment. There was an empty seat here. She smiles excitedly and waves to the only other girl inside. "Hi! May I sit here?"